page_title: Typhoon Soulik (2013)
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Typhoon Soulik (2013) / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: One of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station photographed this image of Typhoon Soulik just east of northern Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean. [Editor's update: Thousands of people were evacuated in Taiwan; and the entire island was declared an "alert zone," as Typhoon Soulik made landfall early on July 13 (local time), pounding the country with powerful winds and heavy rain].
context_page_description: Typhoon Soulik, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Huaning, was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in Taiwan and East China in July 2013. The storm originated from an upper-level cold-core low well to the northeast of Guam on July 6. Gaining tropical characteristics, the system soon developed a surface low and became a tropical depression early on July 7. Tracking generally westward, a motion it would retain for its entire existence, the depression underwent a period of rapid intensification starting on July 8 that culminated in Soulik attaining its peak strength early on July 10. At that time, the system had sustained winds estimated at 185 km/h and barometric pressure of 925 mbar. Thereafter, an eyewall replacement cycle and cooler waters weakened the system. Though it passed over the warm waters of the Kuroshio Current the following day, dry air soon impinged upon the typhoon. Soulik later made landfall late on July 12 in northern Taiwan before degrading to a tropical storm. Briefly emerging over the Taiwan Strait, the storm moved onshore for a second time in Fujian on July 13. The system was last noted as a tropical depression early on July 14.
context_section_description: On July 6, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began monitoring a mid- to upper-level low associated with an easterly wave roughly 1,390 km (865 mi) northeast of Guam. Though satellite analysis indicated no low-level circulation, atmospheric conditions favoured development over the following days. Early the next day, a broad surface low developed and scatterometer passes revealed strong easterly winds to the northeast of the center, which were expected to wrap into the system as it intensified. Despite still being a mostly cold-core system and considered subtropical by the JTWC, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression. Over the following hours, rapid consolidation of the low took place with deep convective banding features wrapping around the low and a distinct transition into a tropical cyclone. In light of this, the JTWC commenced advisories on Tropical Depression 07W. Situated to the south of a subtropical ridge, the depression tracked steadily west to west-northwest over a region of high sea surface temperatures and low wind shear.
  Rapid deepening began on July 8 with an eye-like feature developing over the center. Additionally, the storm's westerly motion mitigated the negative effects of wind shear and its upper-level outflow greatly improved. The rate of strengthening surpassed constraints implemented within the Dvorak Technique, a tool used by meteorologists to estimate a cyclone's intensity based on satellite appearance. Both the JTWC and JMA estimated the system to have attained tropical storm status that morning, with the latter assigning it the name Soulik. Throughout the day, the storm's eye became increasingly defined on SSMIS satellite images and the system attained typhoon status within 24 hours of being named. Three tropical upper tropospheric troughs, two located to the northwest and one to the east of Soulik, greatly enhanced the typhoon's outflow and allowed for the development of a clear, 85 km (50 mi) wide eye which soon contracted to 40 km (25 mi) in diameter. Due to the cyclone's proximity to the Philippines, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration also monitored the storm and assigned it the local name Huaning. Soulik ultimately attained its peak intensity early on July 10 with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) and a barometric pressure of 925 mbar (hPa; 27.32 inHg). At this time, the JTWC estimated the storm to have been a Category 4-equivalent on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale with one-minute sustained winds of 230 km/h (145 mph).
  A substantially larger secondary eye, estimated to be 315 km (195 mi) wide, began forming shortly after Soulik attained its peak on July 10. By this time, the deep convection was no longer symmetrical around the storm and was mostly located over the southern and eastern areas of the circulation. This formation of a secondary eye indicated an eyewall replacement cycle was in progress; however, it coincided with the typhoon passing over a small area of very low oceanic heat content and prompted a weakening trend. Convection around Soulik's core gradually weakened, though it retained a well-defined inner eye. The simultaneous occurrence of these two factors greatly hindered reorganization of the system and the weakening trend continued as the typhoon tracked west-northwest toward Taiwan. On July 11, this trend temporarily abated as Soulik moved over the warm waters of the Kuroshio Current, allowing for structural improvement. Early on July 12, dry air began to entrain into the northwestern portion of the circulation, suppressing thunderstorm development. Along the southeastern side of the storm, a large band of convection maintained itself and wrapped around a poorly defined eye.
  Throughout July 12, dry air compromised the structure of Soulik as it worked into the system's center between bands of convection. Despite this, the storm's eye cleared somewhat, though remained ragged. Later that day, the typhoon accelerated on its approach to Taiwan. Interaction with the mountainous terrain
caption: Typhoon Soulik seen from the International Space Station on July 11
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